Even if you don't believe in "astrology", all of the stuff that is happening in the world right now links up with the cycles and spheres in the heavens, weather is was predicted too, forecasted too, or not. Regardless, things are shifting...on every level. Personally, politically, earth wise, and beyond. In the Celtic calendar today is Lammas, the halfway point between Summer Solstice and Fall Equinox, and represents the first fruits of the season, an early harvest. What are you reaping? What aspects of your soul are rising up to be seen? Amongst the noise and all of this upheaval, can you still feel your essence? That simple, quiet, calm space inside....

Deeper still....all the way to the bottom, where the anchor holds the ship; keeping it safe and sound on a stormy sea.

Volcanos are erupting, fires are burning, floods are filling streets and chaos is obvious in the newsfeed and the timelines. Are you scrolling and trolling? Or are you using your energy to prepare for what's ahead? We are in a powerful time. A potent portal. There is work to be done, and the time is now. We might not "feel" ready, but we are. Everything has led to this very moment. Breathe into it. Allow it to be whatever it is. Amongst the swirling winds of rapid change, find the still point. This is where our true essence lies.

I have had someone very close to me telling me that they see my life as "a performance", like I am putting on a show. Everyone else in my life always tell me how authentic I am and gives me a lot of praise for how to I choose to live my live. Of course, there is a part of me that wants to shy away from the person that tells me "I see through you, and you're full of shit". However, I will not. I respect this person for their dedication to doing the uncomfortable deeper work and also for their ability to be alone and in practice, meditation and in a steady, grounded flow. I have been taking a magnifying glass to myself over the last year and it has been extremely difficult but thrice rewarding. As I examine each layer I make a choice to learn from it and let it go, or to resist and hold on to it. The thing is, we shed our layers in cycles and phases just like a snake sheds its skin. When we allow this shedding to be natural, and we leave the dead skin, or bits of identity behind, we come into contact with our true self, our ESSENCE.

Let's look at the meaning of the word:

Essence

noun

the intrinsic nature or indispensable quality of something, especially something abstract, that determines its character.

This person who challenges me by saying "No, I can only see a dead or dying layer, not the real you", helps me to look closer and closer until I am on the other side of the peeled off portion...and can be more attuned to my essence. SOUL ESSENCE. As we get close enough to touch, smell, taste and caress this exquisite essence all our own, we begin to anchor it more solidly into our way of BEING; into even our mundane reality. This is very important for several reasons.

1.) YOUR ESSENCE IS ETERNAL. Our human minds have a dopamine response reward system built in for survival purposes; ie; eating and sex feels so good (dopamine release) because our bodies need those things to survive and ensure the survival of the species. So, being in touch with the part ourselves that is beyond biology helps us to navigate these strong biological pulls towards external needs and cravings. When we have felt our essence and understand that we are not actually just our bodies, we become more in tune with what our incredible vessels really need to operate optimally, instead of being swayed by the surface level cravings and short term desires. Essence is eternal, and when we can actually feel that, we have less need to fill the emptiness with things that don't serve us.

2.) YOUR ESSENCE IS GOD. You are not God, but God/The All/Great Spirit/The Maker/Infinite Mind/Source/WHATEVERYOUWANNACALLIT does exist within you, and within everything else. This is your essence. That fractal of infinite divinity that is your soul. You are essentially consciousness, and this cannot be created nor destroyed, and it can also create and destroy. This is the essence of your soul, this spark of The Creator.

3.) YOUR ESSENCE IS NON DUAL. Think of it this way; essence is beyond body, gender, skin, soul, role, trauma, story, time. It is beyond good or evil. It is pure primal essence. For example, the ocean. If the ocean takes the life of a surfer, does that make the ocean bad? No, it is just the raw power of nature. Sometimes unfortunate things occur, or really amazing and wonderful things occur, and those occurrences pass. "This, too, shall pass". But our essence, it does not pass. It remains. It changes form, even when the body and the experiences and identities we formed through it are gone. It is whatever came into the egg and sperm to give it life and make it "viable". It is the spark of life. ALL life. Not just your life, but all life. Your essence is connected to the essence of all things.

At this time in personal and transpersonal development, we must find ways and resource ourselves to TAP INTO and OPERATE from this essence, this deeper knowing. When planets are flying off in retrograde from every direction, combined with political insanity from all the angles, mixed in with a plethora of natural disasters, climate change, heated social climate conversations and your own personal petty dramas...things can elevate quickly. This is why it is important to ANCHOR INTO YOUR OWN ESSENCE.

Here are some ways I stay calm in the chaos, doing my best to connect with essence over drama:

1. Breathe. I am doing it anyway, so I might as well concentrate on it, especially when my mind starts thinking it's a monkey (swinging from limb to limb and making too much noise!)

2. Dance/Move/Hoop/Surf/Asana. I love getting into my body. It drops me into a "flow state" that leaves me feeling clear headed, free from thought. Hours pass and I will not even notice because I am so immersed in the endorphins in my body and the natural high I feel afterwards. I always feel more focused and energized on the days I make this priority, which is almost always every day.

3. Meditate. Here is the thing. I have a really hard time meditating. Even devoted Buddhists will tell you that sometimes they feel like they even dislike meditating and it feels like the HARDEST thing. Right now I am a five minute meditator. I will meditate here and there for five minutes, or sometimes even just one or two minutes at a time. I don't like to fail when I know I can set myself up for success, so I know it's useless for me to try to meditate for a half hour at this time in my life. I am working my way there, but right now, I meditate when I think about it and let it be a part of my daily flow, instead of making it "this thing that I HAVE TO DO or else I'm not doing enough spiritual work". I am working really diligently at being "natural" and not be forceful. It seems like an oxymoron to "make myself meditate", so I am starting small and feeling like that is an improvement from not at all. When I allow myself these spontaneous meditations, I am able to drop into a very still state and even just a few minutes feels like a washing clean of my mind and field, opening the way to connecting with ESSENCE that is the true me, which in all honesty, I have only glimpsed.

4. Observing Shadow As Equal to Light. This one is really interesting and dicey. Our essence is beyond "shadow" and "light", but by observing and acknowledging BOTH we become much closer to our essence. Our shadow points us towards our essence, and so does our light, but they are NOT the essence itself. When we can allow the light to illuminate the essence, that is a gift, and when we can allow the shadow to let us sense and feel our essence even in the darkness, it is truly is a blessing.

Ok friends! I feel like this is a never ending retrograde eclipse summer and I just want to say keep diving deep and doing the work! You are so beautiful in all of the infinite facets of the ESSENCE of your BEING! <3